Written by:Emily C
Surfer turned activist Chadd Konig is paddling for a purpose. The Santa Barbara local is upping the ante of environmental activism by paddling through chilly, shark infested waters between Santa Cruz and Point Conception to raise awareness about hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.”
Surfer turned activist Chadd Konig preps for his 300 mile paddle along the California coastline to raise awareness on fracking. (Photo: Branden Aroyan)
Konig paddled out August 1 from Santa Cruz Harbor and is planning to end his journey on August 21 at Jalama Beach, near Point Conception.
“My main intention is to educate people,” he added. “Most people … have no idea what fracking is.”
A snapshot of hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking”
Hydraulic fracturing is an increasingly common oil and gas production technique that utilizes a concentrated pressure of water, sand and (hazardous) chemicals to fracture geological formations, most often shale rock, and stimulate the flow of oil or gas. In some situations, Fracking has been linked to severe instances of water and air pollution and other environmental harm.
During his three-week voyage at sea, Konig will camp on remote beaches and utilize provision-stocked dry bags for food. In addition, Konig’s journey will be chronicled on film with the help of photographer Branden Aroyan. He hopes to not only increase public awareness on the issue of fracking, but direct people to sign a petition to the lead agency who oversees hydraulic fracking in California–the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. Chadd has teamed up with the Environmental Defense Center of Santa Barbara to address this issue.
Join the fight against fracking and sign the petition here.
Be sure to tune in to The Surf Channel Television Network’s original series chronicling Konig’s fight against fracking.
A Los Angeles native and action sports enthusiast, Emily currently attends Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA where she is studying Public Relations. She serves as VP of the Pepperdine Surf Team and enjoys long boarding, road trips and filming.
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[...] wondering where to turn. A short fix of drilling our coastline may help balance budgets, but some deep ocean drilling – such as hydrolic fracking – can be detrimental to the ocean’s ecosystem and [...]
[...] “Sea Pathways” by Brandon Aroyan, Santa Barbara surfer and environmentalist Chadd Konig paddles down this coast on his human powered &…. The remote coastline between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara is a home to California’s [...]
[...] wondering where to turn. A short fix of drilling our coastline may help balance budgets, but some deep ocean drilling – such as hydrolic fracking – can be detrimental to the ocean’s ecosystem and adversely [...]